Self-cleaning animal drinking water cup



Dec. 14, 1954 v T. o. SCHMIDT 2,696,802

SELF-CLEANING ANIMAL DRINKING WATER CUP Filed April 24. 1955 I2 0 [163 2. n n n n n i /Z2 2/19 f. L

INVENTOR /7 1 x THEODORE D.SCHMIDT L l P Lfl if ATTORNEYS rates SELF-CLEANING ANIMAL DRINKING WATER CUP Application April 24, 1953, Serial No. 350,819

2 @laims. (Cl. 119-18) This invention appertains to watering fountains and more particularly to a novel drinking cup for caged animals, such as mink.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a drinking cup which can be easily and quickly secured in place on the cage through an opening therein, and which cannot be easily dislodged by an animal, the cup being more or less permanently fixed in place.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a drinking cup in the nature of an inclined chute, whereby the cup can be thoroughly and efficiently cleaned in an expeditious manner by the mere insertion of a hose or nozzle in the outer open end of the cup, the cup func- Uflid f tioning as a guide for a stream of water forced therethrough.

A further, important object of my invention is the provision of a drinking cup, in which the body thereof is formed and fabricated from a single sheet of metal, whereby the same can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing,

Figure l is a longitudinal, sectional view through my improved cup, the view showing the same in its operative position in a cage, the section being taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the cup showing the same in its operative position in a cage.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing one form of means for securing the cup in place.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the front end of the cup with parts thereof broken away and in section, to illustrate structural detail.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the front end of the cup taken on the line 55 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 6 is a reduced scale top plan view of the sheet metal blank from which the cup is formed.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates a cage, and D my novel drinking cup therefor.

The cage C is of a character generally used in the raising of mink, and hence will not be described in detail, but the same includes wire side walls 10 and a wire front wall 11. In accordance with my invention, the front wall 11 adjacent to one side wall 10, is provided with an opening 12 for receiving the cup. The opening is merely formed by cutting away strands of wire.

The drinking cup D includes a body, preferably formed from a single blank of sheet metal, as shown in Figure 6, and the body includes a bottom wall 13, side walls 14 and and a front wall 16. The side walls 14', and 15 are formed integral with the bottom wall 13 and are folded up on the bottom wall along dotted lines 1'7, as shown in Figure 6. The front wall 16, is also formed integral with the bottom wall and is joined with the side walls 14 and. 15 by wings 13, which are folded back against the sides of the cup, as best shown in Figures 4 and 5. The wings can be folded along central, diagonal lines 10, also indicated in Figure 6.

The upper edges of the side walls have formed thereon longitudinally extending flanges 20, and the flanges adjacent to the front of the cup are provided with V- shaped notches or darts 21. the darts are bent down into intimate engagement with corresponding parts I atent The flanges forwardly of ice Lil

the wings 18, after the folding thereof so as to hold the wings against spreading. The flanges 20, in rear of the notches 21 are bent downwardly in spaced parallel relation to the side walls 14 and 15 to provide guide tracks 22. A cover 23 is provided for the body and the same also includes depending guides 24, which receive the guide flanges 22 formed on the side walls 14 and 15. The cover is slipped onto the body until the forward end of the cover hits the bent back wings 18, and these wings act as a stop for the cover. Hence, a front drinking opening 25 is provided at the front end of the cup. The front end of the cover 23 has formed thereon a downwardly projecting tongue 26, which projects toward the bottom wall 13, and this tongue forms a partition so as to prevent the entrance of debris into the back of the cup and to prevent the escape of animals through the cup. The lower edge of the tongue can be provided with a notch 27, so that there will be a free flow of water to the front of the cup.

The bottom wall 13 has formed on its rear edge, bendable lips 28 and in placing the cup in the cage through the opening 12, these lips are bent around an adjacent wire of the front wall, as best shown in Figures 1 and 2. The cup is positioned at an acute angle to the horizontal, so that the same normally inclines forwardly and downwardly into the cage. The cup is further secured in place by the use of a metal band 29, which is secured to the cover 23 by a rivet 30. The band is bent around the cup and the ends of the band are folded around adjacent wires of a side wall 10 of the cage. This is clearly shown in Figure 3. By providing the lips 28 and the band 29 the cup can be firmly and rigidly secured in place and the lips and the band are difficult for an animal to reach and consequently, the cup cannot be easily dislodged by an animal. The cup completely fills the opening 12 and the rear end of the cup is open. Thus, the cup can be easily filled from the outside of a cage by means of a watering bucket or can or by the use of a hose.

Particular attention is directed to the fact that the cup is completely enclosed, with the exception of its rear end and the front drinking opening 25. Consequently, the cup forms a trough or chute and by inserting a hose in the rear open end of the cup a forcible stream of water can be directed therethrough which will effectively clean out the cup.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit of the scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is:

1. A drinking cup for penned animals comprising side parallel walls, a connecting bottom wall, a front wall and a top cover wall, said top cover wall being provided with a depending tongue extending between the side walls toward the bottom wall to provide a transverse partition and a front drinking opening, the rear end of the cup being open for the reception of water, the lower edge of said tongue being provided with a notch, and attaching lips on the rear edge of said bottom wall.

2. In combination with a cage having an opening in one wall thereof adjacent to a right angularly extending wall, an elongated cup inserted in the cage through said opening and including a bottom wall, side walls, a front wall and a top cover wall, the rear end of said cup being open, a depending tongue formed on the front edge of the top cover wall extending inwardly toward the bottom wall between the side walls, lips on the lower wail engaging about a part of the first wall of the cage, and a strap secured to the cup and encircling said cup and having its terminals secured to adjacent portions of the second mentioned wall of the cage.

References (Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 204,562 Gunther June 4, 1878 978,010 Faust Dec. 6, 1910 2,206,383 Adams July 2, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 445,239 France Aug. 29, 1912 

